CRYSTAL LAKE – Workers on Thursday began tearing down the Sears store on Route 14 to make room for a Mariano's grocery store.
City leaders announced in January that the Chicago-based specialty grocery store would be opening a 74,800-square-foot facility at the Sears location at 105 Route 14. Mariano's and the city had been in talks for about two years.
Mariano's expects to open early next year, and city staff estimate the store could create hundreds of jobs and bring in between $35 million and $40 million in annual sales.
The Sears store officially closed last month.